My brother Kyle and I kept up a fairly new Christmas tradition by skiing up Boreas Pass Road.
Unfortunately, Grant was unable to join us this year, but on the plus side we had a few new inches of powder to slip through.
Starting out cloudy, the conditions gradually cleared, first only hinting at the peaks the skies hid.
Quite a few cars were in the parking lot, but people were well spread out and we only occasionally passed other parties.
Feeling less competitive than other years, we took numerous breaks on the slight uphill grade to take pictures of the scenery.
I commented that the Lodge Pole forests are the most boring I’ve ever seen (thankfully Colorado has aspen groves, ponderosa, and bristlecones). That all changes with some fresh snow when the trees come into their own.
Every year our goal has been the restored water tank from when this path was a railroad track. We stopped and enjoyed a quick snack and thermos of hot chocolate.
The clouds were really clearing off now and the light snow had stopped. We couldn’t glide all the way back down, but the effort was much less and stops less frequent.
During one of the few pauses I looked up at a large bird and identified it as a bald eagle. I tried to remember if I’d ever seen another in Colorado.
The Journey Is Home 